** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be immediately notified of acceptance into this program and be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.

Program Description

Overview

The Florence Business Study Abroad program is intended to build and nurture business leaders with exceptional creativity and potential. The program will provide these future business leaders with global perspective and an understanding of the global business environment. Students may take business electives that focus on global business from an ethical and an entrepreneurial viewpoint.

Optional: Cultural Introduction to Italy 1-Week Program (May 6 - May 13) - (The cost for this optional program is $1300.00, in addition to the Total Program Cost)

Students enrolled in the 6-week USF in Florence Business Program may also elect to take part in the optional Cultural Introduction to Italy 1-week program, which will take place the week prior to the start of their 6-week Business Session.

This one-week intensive course is intended to provide students with an in-depth introduction to Italian culture and to broaden one’s awareness and understanding of the role of cultural heritage in customs and lifestyles. Lectures will provide students with an organized, focused, and academic understanding of Italian history, art, architecture, food, religion, and culture. The course provides additional enrichment through basic notions of Italian language and terminology. On-site teaching is a significant part of this course which aims to teach students how to become active visitors and not passive tourists, while understanding a culture beyond its stereotypes. This cultural program will include visits to Rome, Assisi, Florence, Perugia, and Viterbo.

Students in this optional 1-week program will be enrolled in the course Cultural Introduction to Italy (HUM 4941 - 3 credit hours) in addition to the 6 credit hours they will complete as part of the 6-week USF in Florence Business Program.

Please enjoy this beautiful video about the program, produced by Professor Steve Cooke (former Florence Program Director):

https://vimeo.com/151569447

Professor Cooke's video will surely add to your growing enthusiasm about the program, as well as give you a taste of the beauty and splendor that await you this summer.

Location

The glory of Florence is rooted in its past. The Medicis commanded the city's fortunes for centuries and, as patrons, they encouraged the Renaissance's influence on the city. Visitors from all over the world come to admire the magnetic charm of the Baptistry, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Uffizi, Pitti Palace, and the Ponte Vecchio.

Despite its pivotal role in the history of civilization, and its significance as an artistic and cultural center, Florence retains the bustle and charm of a small town in a bygone age. Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Cosmopolitan, and yet with all modern conveniences, Florence, perhaps more than any other city, is a tapestry describing Europe's emergence from the dark ages through to the 21st century. In addition to all that Florence offers to program participants, there are many opportunities to explore the picturesque Tuscan countryside, and surrounding towns such as Pisa and Siena. An efficient rail system connects Florence with Rome, northern Italy and the rest of Europe.

Host Institution

The seat of the Florence University of the Arts (FUA) is located in the historic Palazzo Doni, just a few steps from the splendid Piazza Santa Croce in the quarter of Florence that takes its name from the celebrated church. During the Renaissance period, the Palazzo Doni housed famous works of art: the most significant of these is Michelangelo's round painting of the Holy Family – the so called Tondo Doni, now in the Uffizi Gallery.
The students therefore operate and cultivate their experiences in a suggestive and pervasive frame of influence dating back to an illustrious past. One has the possibility of learning the latest technological procedures of a given media, such as video in a lecture hall graced by original Renaissance wooden ceiling beams and other such architectural gems that abound in the interiors and exteriors of both the Palazzo Doni and Palazzo Guicciardini-Strozzi, located just across the street.

Who Can Participate?

All participants on the this program must have the approval of the Program Director, Dr. Kerry Myers and/or Dr. Gaole Chen.

How to Apply

Upon completing the Education Abroad online application a $500.00 deposit will be placed on your OASIS account, and you will be given a form to take with you to the Cashier's Office to remit payment.

Non USF Students can apply by following the directions on our Non-USF Students page.

How to complete the REQUIRED Course Approval Form:

Upload your completed course approval form to the Course Approval Form Questionnaire in your application.

Academic Program and Course Information

List of USF-Taught Courses:

BUL 3320 - Law and Business (3 credits Session A 6-Week Course/Session); Field Learning Experience: Medici Villas on May 20th.
(Monday - Thursday, 3:00pm to 5:30pm)

This course will have a special block of instruction discussing the Italian organized crime families commonly known as La Costra Nostra and how/why these criminal enterprises migrated from Italy to the United States. We will also have a comparative law instruction session comparing the basic differences between the US legal system and the Italian legal system. If allowed, we may also visit the Italian courthouse in Florence to observe the Italian legal system in process.

This course is designed to introduce the students to the organization and practices of corporate finance. Students are expected to become familiar with time value of money considerations, the use of equity and debt by the firm, the history of markets, and the valuation of portfolios and securities. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to approach financial analysis and decision making from the perspective of the financial manager of the firm. (Prerequisites: ACG 2071, ECO 2023, ECO 2013)

Please note that all participants are required to enroll in at least one business course from either the USF or FUA catalog offered in this session.

Within each Session, courses are offered in either a 6-week or 3-week format, and all students must enroll for two courses in either format and in any combination, which may be selected from those offered in their respective Session [Florence A Session Courses, Florence B Session Courses, or C Session Courses (A Session Courses and B Session Courses)]

When making your selections, please note that all courses have a Field Learning Experience connected to them. All students enrolled in that particular course will be traveling to the associated destination(s) as part of their course work, at no additional cost.

Further, you are also required to select at least two alternate courses in addition to your two primary course choices, and all selections (primary or alternate) should be added to your Course Approval Form, which should then be signed by your major advisor.

When completing the Course Approval Form, you may inform your major academic advisors that all courses have already received USF College and Departmental approval by this office.

The USF course prefixes and numbers for all USF and FUA-taught courses may be found on the program Course Approval Form via the link listed above. For actual class meeting times and the accompanying Field Learning Experience, students may refer to the list below for all USF-taught courses, and to the link below for all FUA-taught courses:

Link to all FUA-Taught Courses: http://fua.it/Academics/academic-schedule.html?period=317

Faculty

Professor Myers has previously lived in several foreign countries having been assigned to numerous United States Embassies around the world while employed with the United States Government. Professor Myers has lived (on temporary assignments) in Israel, Afghanistan, Thailand, Pakistan and Greece. Professor Myers has previously visited most of Europe including Italy, and has traveled particularly to Florence, Siena, Rome, Milan, Lake Cuomo and Venice within Italy.

Gaole (Leo) Chen is a professor in the Muma College of Business Finance Department and is the director of the Student Managed Investment Fund, a program in which students pitch real-money investments to a board of professional investors and advisors.

Prior to accepting his current position here, he was a portfolio manager and quantitative strategist at Cumberland Advisors in Sarasota, where he actively managed two U.S. equity portfolios. He specializes in quantitative analysis and his research utilizes quantitative methods to examine market returns and underlying volatilities. As a strategist at Cumberland, Chen uses his background in mathematics to help interpret risk in the markets. He also taught finance as an assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi.

He holds a PhD from USF in business administration and finance.

Program Cost

Costs

Total Program Cost: $4895.00 (6-week USF in Florence Business Program)

This fee includes:

Six undergraduate USF credits

Pre-departure and on-site orientation

Walking tour of city

Shared apartment accommodations

Resident permit

Emergency medical and evacuation insurance for the dates of the program

Field Learning Experience associated with their selected course

On-site program administration by FUA

Computer lab and library access

Limited meal plan

Please note that 6 credit hours are included in the Total Program Cost. Student may enroll in courses totaling more than 6 credit hours at an additional cost. Students enrolling in any course combination totaling more than 6 credit hours must add an additional $350.00 per additional credit hour. Students enrolling in any course combination totaling 9 credit hours must add an additional $1000.00 to the Total Program Cost.

The following items are not included in the program cost listed above:

Cost for courses totaling more than 6 credit hours

Passport fees ($135.00)

International airfare ($1,100-$1,400)

Estimated* Total Additional out of pocket costs=$1000.00 - $1500.00

*Please note that this is a conservative estimate and is not intended to cover costs related to cell phone usage, nor does it provide significant funds for entertainment or personal spending (gifts and souvenirs, which depending on taste and quality can be quite expensive).

Please note: Students who elect to take part on the 1-week Cultural Introduction to Italy Program, should add an additional $1300.00 to their Total Program Cost.

How and When to Pay

Financial Aid and Scholarship Funding

Many funding opportunities are available to USF students who are planning to study abroad. Please see our funding page for further details.

Health and Safety

Medical Insurance and Travel Documentation

USF provides program participants with sickness/accident and emergency medical evacuation insurance valid for the dates of the program. Those who will travel independently, either in advance of the program or after the program ends, must ensure that they have insurance coverage valid outside the U.S.

Other Considerations

Getting There

You will be responsible for reserving and purchasing your international transportation to Florence. Please do not purchase your air ticket until you have been advised to do so by the program manager. They will advise participants of a group-designated flight schedule. All who wish to travel with others in the program will receive this information well in advance so they can book these flights. You must provide the program coordinator with your final flight itinerary.

Living Arrangements

Accommodations will be well-maintained but modestly furnished student apartments with double or triple occupancy bedrooms, shared bath accommodations, and kitchen. Utilities are included. The maximum walking distance to the FUA main campus from any apartment is 20 minutes.